About CBI: Staff & Board

Lawrence Susskind

Founder and Chief Knowledge Officer

Lawrence Susskind is Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Founder and Chief Knowledge Officer of the Consensus Building Institute.break He has served on the faculty of MIT for over 35 years and currently directs the Graduate Program in Environmental Policy and Planning. He is also Vice-Chair for Instruction at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, which he helped found in 1982, where he heads the MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program and teaches advanced negotiation courses.

In his book, Breaking Robert’s Rules: The New Way to Run Your Meeting, Build Consensus and Get Results (Oxford University Press), Professor Susskind synthesizes what he has learned about consensus building techniques and strategies that work most effectively in the public arena. He is author of 15 other books including Built to Win: Creating a World-Class Negotiating Organization (Harvard Business Press), Multiparty Negotiation (Sage, 2008), Environmental Diplomacy (Oxford, 1995), Negotiating Environmental Agreements (Island Press, 1999), Dealing With An Angry Public (Free Press, 1994), and the award-winning Consensus Building Handbook (Sage, 1999).

Professor Susskind has mediated numerous disputes, including land use conflicts, facility siting controversies, public policy disagreements, and confrontations over water. He has served as a court-appointed special master and helped facilitate negotiations on arrangements of global environmental treaties. He offers a range of executive training programs each year and has served as guest lecturer at more than two-dozen universities around the world.

Divided Cities: Larry Susskind on 'The Urbanist'

Lawrence Susskind, CBI Founder/Chief Knowledge Officer and Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at MIT, is featured on "The Urbanist", a weekly online broadcast produced by "Monocle". Editor Andrew Tuck interviews Susskind about conflict resolution in “divided” cities, and how CBI’s work relates to the challenges of urban disputes.

This podcast is an edited version of the original 50-minute “Divided Cities” Urbanist broadcast. Listen to the original here.

Divided Cities: Larry Susskind on 'The Urbanist...

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Video

Dealing with an Angry Public Teflex Role-Play

CBI Founder/Chief Knowledge Officer and Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at MIT, Lawrence Susskind, uses a role-play simulation at an executive education seminar on dealing with an angry public. This segment is part of the Program on Negotiation's "Negotiation Pedagogy Video Series, Part Two."

Dealing with an Angry Public Teflex Role-Play

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Podcast

Energy NIMBYism: Larry Susskind on NHPR

Lawrence Susskind, CBI Founder/Chief Knowledge Officer and MIT Professor, is featured on New Hampshire Public Radio's "The Exchange", addressing the issue of NIMBYism (Not in My Backyard) — those who oppose local siting of renewable energy projects because of the actual or perceived losses to themselves and their community, regardless of potential benefits. Susskind recommends that energy planners and developers inform the public about projects before decisions about siting are made and give all stakeholders a chance to participate in the decision making process.

Energy NIMBYism: Larry Susskind on NHPR

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Video

Guidelines for Using Mediation in CSR: CBI and the OECD

CBI Founder/Chief Knowledge Officer and MIT Professor, Lawrence Susskind, discusses CBI's work with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on introducing mediation as a method for implementing corporate social responsibility guidelines for multinationals.

Learn more about this project and download the complete NCP Mediation Manual here.

Guidelines for Using Mediation in CSR: CBI and the OECD

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Video

ESSEC Business School Interviews Lawrence Susskind

CBI Founder/Chief Knowledge Officer, MIT Professor, and keynote speaker, Lawrence Susskind is interviewed by the International Development Director of the ESSEC Business School, during their "Organizations Change in Response to Environmental Demands" Conference in March, 2010.

In this Guardian 'Science Extra' interview, Lawrence Susskind, CBI Founder/Chief Knowledge Officer and MIT Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, discusses why international environmental treaties, such as Kyoto, have failed to achieve intended objectives. This interview was conducted during the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Why Don't Green Treaties Work? 'Science Extra...

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Podcast

Breaking Robert's Rules of Order: Lawrence Susskind

CBI Founder/Chief Knowledge Officer and MIT Professor Lawrence Susskind introduces his book, "Breaking Robert's Rules." He summarizes the problems with Robert's Rules of Order; why an alternative — the Consensus Building Approach — is more effective and enjoyable; and how groups can transition to this more natural process of group problem solving and decision making.

Breaking Robert's Rules of Order: Lawrence Susskind

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Presentation

Making Public Engagement Work: A Guide for Conveners

This presentation surveys tools and guiding principles for effective public engagement. It examines four purposes for engaging with the public, and eight best-practice principles for producing useful dialogue and collaborative problem-solving.